Besides Touriga Nacional, which grape ....

[Roy Hersh]

... do you feel adds the most to the Port blend, and why?

[Al B.]

Boy, now there is a question to sort out the serious port afficianado from the amateur.

I am clearly an amateur. I can't answer the question as I have never had the opportunity to taste single varietal Portuguese wines as table wine let alone once fortified. Add to that the complexity of field blends and I wouldn't know where to start.

I will watch this thread with great interest. I have read a little about the characteristics of each variety but will learn a lot from reading the discussion here.

Alex

[Mike Kerr]

I don't really have an educated optinion on the actual taste, but I'm pretty sure I've seen both Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz on some labels. I'm not sure what affect that has on the Port flavour though.

It would be very interesting to sample those grapes to get an idea.

Mike.

[pgwerner]

... do you feel adds the most to the Port blend, and why?

That's got to be a question only a Port manufacturer could answer. Only a few of the grape varieties that go into Port are ever vinified as single varietals at all (I believe Touriega Nacional is, for example.) And unless you've tried a lot of Portugese table wines, chances are, you've probably never encountered even these.

Like most Port aficionados, I have never encountered grapes like Touriga Naçional or Tinata Çao outside of a Port blend, and probably never will. In any event, Port isn't about expression of varietal character, really.

Peter

[Frederick Blais]

Knowing that the Tourigal Nacional accounts for less than 5% of the total grapes production. My guess Roy is that you are talking mostly for Vintage Port where the Touriga Nacional accounts for more than the 5% of the volume.

Besides Touriga Nacional, I like Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca and Touriga Franca . Why? Because these are the most popular grapes blended right now and that the stuff is really good :)

But as other said, it is almost impossible to taste the separate grapes. Because it is not avaible to the public and that the grapes are blended togheter most of the time during fermentation and ageing process.

[Ronald Wortel]

Well, can't answer that question, but LadyR once got the chance of tasting the loose components of the Vesuvio '04 before it was blended. She posted notes on the WS board: here

[Steven Kooij]

Personally I think no Port without Alveralhão in the blend should be allowed on the market!


...ehm, sorry about that.
No, I can't pick a favourite Port grape. The only single varietal VP I know of the the Calem 1996 Touriga Nacional, and I have not tasted it. I did have the pleasure of tasting the components used in the blend of the Niepoort '03, but these were vineyard blends. Favourite varietals in Douro reds...now that's a whole new topic!

[Mario Ferreira]

On October 5, 2005, Eric Asimov, Journalist, wrote [in The New York Times] the following on Portuguese Red Douro Wines:

" tinto cão can add a fine floral perfume, while touriga franca adds a more exotic quality"

[Roy Hersh]

That's got to be a question only a Port manufacturer could answer. Only a few of the grape varieties that go into Port are ever vinified as single varietals at all (I believe Touriega Nacional is, for example.) And unless you've tried a lot of Portugese table wines, chances are, you've probably never encountered even these.

Actually that is not true. Although it is not yet commonplace, we've come across more producers that have begun to follow this new trend to vinify their Ports, having segregated their lots of various grape types. Again, this is a fairly new practice, so let's not get caught up in semantics. There are more single grape Vintage Ports made than you'd think. I have tasted quite a few. Additionally, I've been fortunate to have tasted seperate varietal components on a handful of occasions. Mario and I have taken part in some of these tastings together in 2003 and again in 2005.

I appologize for getting into minutia here or a topic that might be boring to some of you. I think that the make up of grapes in the Port and especially Vintage Port blend is quite relevent, as the dynamics in body weight, aromatics, depth of color, tannic structure and flavor profile can all be linked to qualities provided by specific grapes.

In days of yore, actually up until the past 15 years, field blends were the norm in the Douro. New plantings since the late 1980s have frequently, if not exclusively been undertaken by segregating rows, hectares, plots or entire vineyards by grape type. As viticulture has evolved in the Douro Valley, so has the understanding of the innate qualities that each of the cultivars brings to the blend. Additionally, site selection for planting specific grape types is now far more of a science in the Douro than mere guesswork as it used to be.

But as other said, it is almost impossible to taste the separate grapes. Because it is not avaible to the public and that the grapes are blended togheter most of the time during fermentation and ageing process.

Therein lies the beauty of coming along with Mario and me on our trips to Portugal. We can ensure that our guests will experience tastings of wines (including varietal components, not to mention many rarities) that few people ever get to try.

Instead of getting into further detail, I will shelve my dissertation on the various grapes and their characteristics, for an article in an upcoming newsletter. It will probably bore most people to tears, but at least I know that Alex will appreciate it.

[Andy Velebil]

"Instead of getting into further detail, I will shelve my dissertation on the various grapes and their characteristics, for an article in an upcoming newsletter. It will probably bore most people to tears, but at least I know that Alex will appreciate it."

Roy,

I don't know enough to wade in on this topic, but I can guarantee you that I, for one, would not be "Bore to tears". I look forward to reading up on this in a future newsletter. (in other words, hurry up with that next newsletter, )

[Ronald Wortel]

There are more single grape Vintage Ports made than you'd think. I have tasted quite a few. Additionally, I've been fortunate to have tasted seperate varietal components on a handful of occasions.

Care to share some names Roy?

[Al B.]

Roy,

I'd back up Ronnie here. I never even knew that anyone was making single variety VP's let alone that there were a number of them.

I'd be interested in trying some so please do share names with us.

Steven / Ronnie - are you Calem agents in the Netherlands? Can you get your hands on a case of the single variety Calem VP that Steven mentioned?

Alex

[Derek T.]

Roy,

Is there any chance you could persuade some friends in Porto to allow you to bring a few samples of single varietal components with you to the Vesuvio tasting in London in May? I'm sure it would make an interesting and informative addition to the vertical tasting?

Derek

[Ronald Wortel]

I'm sorry Alex, we do not represent calem. The only place I've ever seen the Touriga Nacional VP was in Porto in the lodge of Calem.

[Roy Hersh]

I am bringing this back to the front page because my A QUESTION FOR THE PORT TRADE for the Aug. 1st newsletter is very similar to this, asking which two grapes should be the basis for any Vintage Port blend, and why.

So it will be interesting to see what you think, even before the Port Trade ventures their opinions.

[Marco D.]

Funny you should pose this question... I just saw my Quevedo single varietal sampler pack hidden away in my wine cooling unit the other day... Drinking through that set would make me better informed on this thread subject.

[Eric Menchen]

I'm looking forward to the Quevedo sampler that I have as well. Now I can't really answer the original question, but I can say that when I learned what Tinta Roriz was, it made some sense to me why I like Port, as I like that grape in other wines. Of course its Spanish grown brethren might not taste the same given different terroir ...

[Jeff G.]

Tinta Cao.

[Roy Hersh]

Glenn and I tasted our way through the Oscar Quevedo sample pack just a few days ago. Interesting to say the last!

I then encouraged Glenn to make up a mix of all of the grapes into one cuvee to prove a point. The sum of the whole was significantly better than any individual grape. Make sure you do the blend at the end!

[Glenn E.]

Yeah, the single varieties were all interesting, but were easily bested by the rough-equal-proportions blend we made at the end. I was surprised to find new notes in the blend that I didn't detect in any of the grapes, so clearly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts!

As to this thread, I think I'd have to go with Tinta Roriz. I have had two different single-variety Ports made from Tinta Roriz and they're very good by themselves. In both cases I then also got to try the blended Port which was better, but I could taste the influence of the Tinta Roriz both times.